As I read the news of the destruction of Ba’al temple in Syria’s Palmyra city, allegedly at the hands of the Islamic State militants, my first reaction was of extreme shock. I felt ashamed. I wondered why people were razing down heritage structures in the name of religion.
What also deeply hurt me was the killing of prominent Syrian archaeologist, Khalid al-Asaad, who used to work at the site and had befriended me during my trip to Syria.
Back in 2007, when I was an assistant superintending archaeologist, I had visited Syria on the invitation of the Syrian Department of Culture as part of a UNESCO delegation. At that time, I had given a talk at the country’s national museum as well as at the Damascus University on Arabic coins found in India, which is my expertise.
Though we visited a number of cities during my stay – including Aleppo, Bosra and the port town of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast – it was Palmyra that awed me and has remained etched in my memory.
The Land of the Palms
Palmyra, meaning the Land of Palms, is famous for the palm trees that grow there. I recall eating fresh dates plucked from the trees during our visit. The city is very rich historically and had passed through the hands of several civilisations – right from the pre-historic times leading up to the Greco-Roman period, Byzantine empire, the Islamic period, Turkish Ottoman empire and even the French before Syria gained independence.
When I met Khalid, he was the Antiquity Chief in Syria. It was he who showed me around and explained to me the nuances of architecture and culture in Palmyra, and also described to me the close trade relations India once shared with his country.
Ba’al – the god of rain – was worshipped in pre-Islamic Syria by Arabs, and the Ba’al temple, which has now been destroyed, was dedicated to him. It was an impressive structure dating back to the 1st century AD. It boasted of Greco-Roman architecture with polished pillars, abacus and arches. There was an amphitheatre where the politburo members held meetings. The eyes of the idol of Ba’al installed inside, as with all other idols, were lined with surma (kohl). This is a cultural practice that began in Syria in 3rd century BCE and continues till date.
The temple had been abandoned after Prophet Mohammad’s word spread but remained unharmed as locals always thought of it as an important landmark in their history and culture.
Loss to the fraternity
Another interesting site in Palmyra was the Valley of the Tombs. These were burial towers of three-four floors. Khalid told me a unique thing about the tombstones there. The Islamic culture of putting up epitaphs on the headstone was not prevalent in the region. Rather, a mural of the dead person, with his/her distinct facial features and ornaments, would be made in soft stone and fitted onto the headstone. That is how they distinguished their dead.
Khalid also explained to me the deep cultural and trade relations that India and Syria shared. There is an area near Howrah in present-day Midnapore district of West Bengal, called Tamluk, which was once the famous ancient city of Tamralipti. Dyes made there were exported to Syria through the water route of Bay of Bengal. The Syrians cover their dead in woollen fabrics, and the yellow and black dyes for the shroud were imported from Tamralipti.
At the Syrian National Museum, we saw carnelian beads from the Harappan period which, according to Khalid, had come from the Silk Route and were used for ornamentation purposes.
There were other numerous examples which established Palmyra as an important site for various trade routes. This place had dates, it had water. The travellers would rest there and go on their way.
Unfortunately, all that is gone now. Khalid was a believer, but above everything, he was a fine archaeologist who was dedicatedly conserving heritage sites. His death is a great loss to the fraternity.
Heritage for future generations
We had seen examples of the same fanaticism shown in Palmyra on our visit to Afghanistan when the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban. Similarly, during Saddam Hussein’s fall, American soldiers could be seen ravaging museums and stealing antiquities, which were later reportedly sold off in US and other countries.
I believe that UNESCO and the global community need to strongly condemn such incidents and take a tough stand against them. Heritage does not belong to one country or religion. We must have something to show our future generations.
The Syria that I visited was a very liberal country. There were no disturbances and they were exploring various avenues for development. Nothing remains today.
As told to Sumegha Gulati.
GS Khawaja is the director of the epigraphy branch of the Archaeological Survey of India.
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What also deeply hurt me was the killing of prominent Syrian archaeologist, Khalid al-Asaad, who used to work at the site and had befriended me during my trip to Syria.
Back in 2007, when I was an assistant superintending archaeologist, I had visited Syria on the invitation of the Syrian Department of Culture as part of a UNESCO delegation. At that time, I had given a talk at the country’s national museum as well as at the Damascus University on Arabic coins found in India, which is my expertise.
Though we visited a number of cities during my stay – including Aleppo, Bosra and the port town of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast – it was Palmyra that awed me and has remained etched in my memory.
The Land of the Palms
Palmyra, meaning the Land of Palms, is famous for the palm trees that grow there. I recall eating fresh dates plucked from the trees during our visit. The city is very rich historically and had passed through the hands of several civilisations – right from the pre-historic times leading up to the Greco-Roman period, Byzantine empire, the Islamic period, Turkish Ottoman empire and even the French before Syria gained independence.
When I met Khalid, he was the Antiquity Chief in Syria. It was he who showed me around and explained to me the nuances of architecture and culture in Palmyra, and also described to me the close trade relations India once shared with his country.
Ba’al – the god of rain – was worshipped in pre-Islamic Syria by Arabs, and the Ba’al temple, which has now been destroyed, was dedicated to him. It was an impressive structure dating back to the 1st century AD. It boasted of Greco-Roman architecture with polished pillars, abacus and arches. There was an amphitheatre where the politburo members held meetings. The eyes of the idol of Ba’al installed inside, as with all other idols, were lined with surma (kohl). This is a cultural practice that began in Syria in 3rd century BCE and continues till date.
The temple had been abandoned after Prophet Mohammad’s word spread but remained unharmed as locals always thought of it as an important landmark in their history and culture.
Loss to the fraternity
Another interesting site in Palmyra was the Valley of the Tombs. These were burial towers of three-four floors. Khalid told me a unique thing about the tombstones there. The Islamic culture of putting up epitaphs on the headstone was not prevalent in the region. Rather, a mural of the dead person, with his/her distinct facial features and ornaments, would be made in soft stone and fitted onto the headstone. That is how they distinguished their dead.
Khalid also explained to me the deep cultural and trade relations that India and Syria shared. There is an area near Howrah in present-day Midnapore district of West Bengal, called Tamluk, which was once the famous ancient city of Tamralipti. Dyes made there were exported to Syria through the water route of Bay of Bengal. The Syrians cover their dead in woollen fabrics, and the yellow and black dyes for the shroud were imported from Tamralipti.
At the Syrian National Museum, we saw carnelian beads from the Harappan period which, according to Khalid, had come from the Silk Route and were used for ornamentation purposes.
There were other numerous examples which established Palmyra as an important site for various trade routes. This place had dates, it had water. The travellers would rest there and go on their way.
Unfortunately, all that is gone now. Khalid was a believer, but above everything, he was a fine archaeologist who was dedicatedly conserving heritage sites. His death is a great loss to the fraternity.
Heritage for future generations
We had seen examples of the same fanaticism shown in Palmyra on our visit to Afghanistan when the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban. Similarly, during Saddam Hussein’s fall, American soldiers could be seen ravaging museums and stealing antiquities, which were later reportedly sold off in US and other countries.
I believe that UNESCO and the global community need to strongly condemn such incidents and take a tough stand against them. Heritage does not belong to one country or religion. We must have something to show our future generations.
The Syria that I visited was a very liberal country. There were no disturbances and they were exploring various avenues for development. Nothing remains today.
As told to Sumegha Gulati.
GS Khawaja is the director of the epigraphy branch of the Archaeological Survey of India.